Refrigerator construction



May 9, 1944.

c. R. QUINN REFRIGERATOR CONSTRUCTION Fild June 12, 1941 I Ira/@1027;

kam'aja Patented May 9, 1944 REFRIGERATOR- CONSTRUCTION Charles R.Quinn, Roslyn Park, Pa., assignor to Phiico Corporation, Philadelphia,Pa., a. corporation of Pennsylvani Application June 12,1941, Serial No.397,803

2 Claims. (Cl. 220-9) This invention relates to new and usefulimprovements in refrigerator cabinet construction,v

and more particularly to the breakerstrip construction employed to closethe spaces or openings at the front of the cabinet between the inner andouter shells thereof.

Accordingly, theprincipal object of the present invention is to providein a refrigerator cabinet a breakerstrip assembly embodying novel meansfor fastening the breakerstrips to the cabinet outer shell.

Another object of the invention is to provide a refrigeratorbreakerstrip assembly as set forth, wherein the novel outer edgefastening means serves also to provide an attractive trim piece aboutthe front of the refrigerator cabinet.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a breakerstripfastening means of the character described, together with means forsecuring it to the outer shell constructed and arranged so that thebreakerstrip, which is held in place by fastening means, serves in turnto prevent displacement of the means which secures the fastening means.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a breakerstripassembly and fastening .means of the type described which iscomparetively easy to install and inexpensive to manufacture.

These and other objects of the invention and the features and details ofthe construction and arrangement thereof are hereinafter fully set forthand described and shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of a refrigerator embodying thebreakerstrip construction and assembly of the present inventiomtherefrigerator door being open to better illustrate the same.

Figure 21s an enlarged view in section taken along line 2-2, and line2a-2a, Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an'enlarged view in section taken on line 3-3, Figure 1; andFigure 4 is an enlarged view in section of a strip member made inaccordance with the present invention.

Referring now more parti'cularly to the drawing, reference character Rdesignates generally a domestic refrigerator of the mechanical typecomprising an outer metal shell S and an inner metal shell or.lining L,the interior of which provides the, usual food storage compartment openat the front.

In the present instance, S of the refrigerator cabinet the outer metalshell may be formed of a single piece of sheet metal material ofgenerally U-shape, to provide the outer top and side walls of arefrigerator. The front edge portion of the shell S preferably is bentinwardly at right angles to the remainder of the sheet as shown at I,then is bent back upon itself as at 2 and then again bent as at 3reversely upon itself inwardly,

in a direction parallel to the first bent portion l to provide,peripherally of the front of the shell, an inturned edge of triplethickness extending continuously about the top and side thereof. Thelast bent'edge portion 3' of the shell S preferably is ofgreater lengththan the bent portions l and 2 so that it extends inwardly beyond thelatter, as shown in the drawing, to form an inwardly projecting flangewhich provides, in conjunction with the bent portions I and 2, arecessed seat 4 extending continuously about the top and sides of thefront of the shell S.

The food liner L has its front edge portions formed to provide a flangeportion 5 peripherally of the food compartment front opening, and thesaid liner is positioned slightly rearwardly of the plane of the frontof the shell S with itsflange 5 extending generally in the direction of,but spaced apart from, the flange edge portion 3 of the said outer shellS. The space between the shell S and lining L is filled with suitableinsulating material, and said lining and shell are supported in spacedrelation, as aforesaid, by means of bracket'members t and I located,respectively,

at suitable points about the front edges of the shell and lining andsecured together by screws or the like 8.

scribed, fox-example, in the copending application of TheodoreW.-Rundel1, Serial No. 397,972, filed June 13, 1914, now Patent No.2,331,845.

The refrigerator is provided with the usual door D for closing the frontaccess opening to the food storage compartment and this door and itsgasket (not shown) are constructed and arranged so that said dooroverlies the entire front of the refrigerator cabinet, from side to sideand to the top of the outer shell thereof, with its gasket positioned toimpinge or seat upon the inwardly bent front edge portion I of saidshell. The refrigerator may also be provided with a shelflined innerdoor D as shown.

Mounted in the top portion of the food storage compartment of therefrigerator is the usual evaporator (not visible) which, in theillustrated embodiment of the invention, is relatively shallow andextends substantially entirely across the top portion of the front ofthe cabinet. Overlying One suitable construction and arrangement of suchparts is disclosed andde the front of the evaporator there is provided aclosure panel P of suitable thermal insulating material, which serves toseal the front of the evaporator against the circulation of air aboutits exterior top and sides, as well as interiorly thereof. The topandside marginal portions 9 of the panel P may extend outwardly over thelining flange (to which it may be secured by screws Ill) and into therecessed seat portion 6 of the outer shell S, thereby providing athermal breakerstrip between the lining L and the outer shell S in theportions of the refrigerator cabinet immediately adjacent andsurrounding the evaporator therein (see Figure 2). The panel member Pmay be constructed and arranged, for example, as shown and described inthe copending application of Donald E. Bailey, Serial No. 397,792..fl1edJune 12, 1941, now Patent No. 2,301,020.

On the other hand, the space between the lining L and outer shell S inthe front of. the refrigerator cabinet below the level of the bottom ofthe evaporator and panel P may be closed or bridged by meansofbreakerstrips H, and these breakerstrips are constructed and arrangedso that their outer edges reside in the recessed seat kl of said outershell, while their inner edge portions outwardly overlie the flange 5 ofsaid lining, as shown in Figure 3 of the drawing.

The inner edge of the breakerstrips l l may be detachably secured to theflange 5 of the lining L by means of suitable snap fasteners or the likel2, for example, in accordance with the invention shownand described inthe copending application of Theodore W. Rundell, Serial No. 371,945,filed December 27, 1940, now Patent No. 2,313,671. 021 the other hand,the outer edge of the breakerstrips may be fastened in the recessed seat4 of the outer shell by means of a strip G3 which constitutes a novelfeature of the present invention and serves both to hold said outerbreakerstrip edge in the seat 4 and to provide an attractive trim pieceabout the front of the refrigerator cabinet at the junction of thebreakerstrips H, panel P and the front edge portion of the outer shells.

According to the present invention, the trim strip 13extendscontinuously about the top and sides of the front of the cabinetouter shell S, and this strip 83 is generally shaped to conform to thecontour of the recessed seat portion .8 of said shell in which it isdisposed. More particu larly, the trim. strip 03 includes head portionsM and 85 which extend in opposite directions,

parallel to the plane of the front of the outer shell S, with the portiol4 overlying the front surface of the inner edge of the bent portion 5of said shell S, and the portion i5 extending inwardly in spacedparallel relation with respect to the inturned flange edge portion 3thereof so as to overlie the front surface of the outer edge portion ofthe breakerstrips H or panel P, as may be the case. I addition, thestrip is includes a shank portion I6 which extends rearwardly betweenthe adjacent edges of the doubled portions l and 2 of the shell and thebreakerstrip II or panel, as the case may be, to the forward surface ofthe flange edge portion 3, and a tail portion 51 which extends acrossthe said flange edge portion 3 in a directicln inwardly of therefrigerator and behind the outer edges of the breakerstrips and panelP. 'The strip l3 may be held in position in the seat plurality ofU-shaped resilient clips 18 which are engaged over the tail portion llof said strip I3 and the flange edge portion 3 of said shell, at aplurality of suitably spaced points around the sides and top of thecabinet. In addition, the clips I8 preferably are each provided with aforwardly extending lip l9 which extends forwardly between the bentportions I and 2 of the shell and the inner edges of the breakerstrip Hso that the latter serve to hold said clips against displacement.

Thus it will be seen that the strip 13, and particularly its inwardlyextending head portion l5, forms, in conjunction with recessed seat I ofthe outer shell S, an inwardly facing groove or recess which extendscontinuously about the sides and top of said shell and provides achannel to receive and retain in position the outer edges of the panelmember P and the breakerstrips II.

To mount the panel P and breakerstrips II in the refrigerator cabinet,the strip I3, which extends entirely about the sides and top of theshell S, is fastened in the recessed seat 4 of said shell only in topand upper side portions thereof immediately surrounding the evaporatorby means of several of the resilient clips l8 as aforesaid, with thelower side portions of the strip l3 below the level of the bottom of theevaporator left free and unattached from the adjacent lower sideportions of the shell. With the top and upper side portions of the strip13 thus fastened to the upper portion of the shell, the opposite sideedge portions of the panel P are inserted between the said stripportions i5 and I1 at a point where the strip is has been left free fromattachment to the opposite sides of the shell (below the evaporator),and the panel P, thus positioned, may be slid upwardly into its properposition across the front of the evaporator, with the entire length ofits outer marginal edge inserted and retained in the shell seat 4 behindthe said strip l3 as previously described.

With panel member 1? secured in place, the

' lower side portions of the strip l3 are secured to the adjacent sideportions of the shell by the resilient clips 18 as aforesaid, and thebreakerstrips H may then be mounted in place. This may be accomplishedby first inserting the outer edges of the brealrerstrips into timechannel formed by the strip portions I 5 and I1, after which the inneredges of said breakerstrips Il may be secured to the flange 5 of theinner shell or lining L, for example, by means of the snap fasteners l2previously mentioned.

After the panel P and breakerstrips II have been installed in therefrigerator cabinet as aforesaid, the joints between the ends ofthebreakerstrips GI and,between the latter and the lower edge of thesaid panel P may be connected and concealed from view by means ofsuitable cabinet, and for providing an attractive trim portion 6 of theouter shell S by means of a piece about the front oi the said cabinet.Too, the fastening and trim means of the present inasap panel such asthe member P but, obviously, mayv be employed in the same manner and toequal advantage in refrigerators wherein breakerstrips, such as i I,extend entirely about the front of the cabinet, for example, asillustrated in Figure 1 of the aforesaid Rundell Patent No. 2,313,671.While a particular embodiment of the present invention has been hereinillustrated and including a head portion overlying at least the adjacentedge front surface portions of said breakerstrip and another portionextending rearwardly between the breakerstrip and outer shell andinwardly along the edge portion of the latter, and clips engaging oversaid other portion of vthe strip and the edge portion of the outer shellto retain said strip in position.

2. A refrigerator cabinet construction comprising inner and outer shellsprovided with a door opening, said outer shell having an edge portionthe shells with the outer edge of saidbreakeb' described, it is notintended that said invention be limited to such disclosure but thatchanges and modifications can be made and incorporated therein withinthe scope of the annexed claims.

I claim: 1. A refrigerator cabinet constructioncomprising inner andouter shells provided with'a door opening, said outer shell having anedge portion bent toward the inner shell peripherally 6f the dooropening and the edge portion of the outer shell forming with said, outershell a recessed seat, a breaker-strip closing the space between theshells with the outer edge of saidbreaker strip extending into therecessed seat of the outer shell, means detachably securing the inneredge of the breakerstrip to the edge P rtion of the inbent toward theinner shell peripherally of the door opening and the edge portion of theouter shellforming with said outer shell a recessed seat, a breakerstripclosing the space between strip extending into the recessed seat of theouter shell, means detachably securing the inner edge of thebreakerstrip to the edge portion of the inner shell, means for fasteningthe outer edge of the breakerstrip to the outer shell com prising astrip disposed in the recessed seat ner shell. means ,for'fastening theouter edge of a the breakerstrip to the outer shell comprising a stripdisposed in the recessed seat thereof and thereof and including a headportion overlying at least the adjacent edge front surface portions ofsaid breakerstrip and another portion extending rearwardly between thebreakerstrip and outer shell and inwardly along the edge portion of thelatter, and clips engaging 'over said other portion of the strip and theedge portion of the outer shell'to retain said strip in position, saidclips having a portion thereof arranged for engagement with said outer.edge of the breakerstrips thereby to retain the clips againstdisplacement.

CHARLES R. QUINN.

